I don't want to be alone
by CSIHuntermom
Summary: Post Fannysmakin' Sara comforts Greg


I don't want to be alone

"C'mon, c'mon, answer the phone." Sara said into her cell phone. She is sitting in her car in the parking lot of his favorite Mexican restaurant. She gets his voice mail. _"Hello, I'm not home right now… please leave a message, thank you."_

Sara quickly closes her phone. She heard her stomach growl. "Well, I have two choices, I can go home or take a chance he's home." She says to herself. Either way, she wants so she decides to go in.

After placing her order; a taco salad with rice and beans and his favorite, chicken fajitas, she tries him again.

"_Hello…"_ That is as far as she got on his voice message as she again slammed her phone closed. "I know you are home, why aren't you answering your phone?" She says to herself again. Just then the guy behind the counter tapped her shoulder to tell her the order is ready. After smelling the cooked chicken, it made her stomach turn. "AAHHH, can you pack that one on the bottom please?" She politely asked. "Whatever"; was her response.

After paying for the two meals she gets back into her car.

"Ok, now what?" She said as she smiled realizing that she is not talking to anyone.

Again realizing that she can go home and be alone or take a chance and see him, that is what she did, she drives to see him.

"Sara, what are you doing here?" Greg asked as both of their sets of brown eyes met.

"Can I come in?" "I brought food from Manuel's; I know it's your favorite." She said holding up the bag containing the meals she just ordered. Just then she heard her stomach growl again this time smelling the taco salad. "And, I'm starving."

"So, can I come in?"

"Sure, sure, I can use something to eat too, thanks Sara."

Greg says as he lets Sara into his small apartment. He leads her to the kitchen where she puts down the bag and goes to the cupboard and grabs two plates. It seems so natural to her, like she lives there and he didn't stop her.

She serves up the meals, his first, and then hers. She hands him a plate and goes to find silver wear. She begins to riffle through the drawers as Greg sits on a bar stool and watches her.

"Top drawer on the left." He says. "What?" She replies still hunting for silver wear. "I said, top drawer on the left." "You could have told me that in the first place." She says looking up at him pursing her lips together. "It was more fun to watch you go through my stuff like you owned it." Greg says back smiling.

After finding two forks and knives, she hands a set to Greg and begins to eat after sitting down on the bar stool next to him.

Greg studies her for a while. He watches her mouth as she chews.

"What, isn't it good?" Sara asks putting down her fork.

"It's not that, I guess I'm just not sure why you are here." He asks then takes a bite.

"Oh God Sara, it's not that I don't _love _you in my place, but I'm just not sure where this is coming from."

Sara stops chewing yet another bite trying to fulfill her now ravenous hunger.

She puts down her fork again and looks at Greg. Their eyes meet again_. She studies his face and then turns to that night. That horrible night she found him lying on the ground._

_His face was so bloodied and bruised he couldn't even see her. But he knew she was there. He always knows when she is around. "It's that Sidle scent." He told her that night. Her heart melted at the sight of him that night. GREG! NOT GREG! Our Greg, MY GREG! He is safe now. The ramifications of that night are weighing on him. A young man died so another man could live. He did what he could and they both know that. She knows him better than he thinks she does. _

_Sara wants to reach out to him, to hold him when he cries, to touch his face, to soothe all the bad feelings away. Oh, how she wishes she could. She wants him to know when he kisses her that she won't turn away or be offended. She'll welcome it and she'll return his kiss as a sign of her affection for him. _

"Catherine has a new man in her life." Sara says breaking the awkwardness between them. "I know." Greg replies softly.

"I think it's great, he is good for her." She cuts in before Greg could say anything.

"By the way, where is she this evening?" Greg asks matter-of-factly. "I mean, I don't think_ I_ was your first choice for your entertainment this evening."

"She and Lindsey are at 'O'." "Lindsey won tickets in a school raffle." "I think Catherine's new man is with them." Sara says looking down as she watches her finger begin to make circles on the countertop.

"Sara." Greg interrupted. She looks up at him.

_Oh, how he wanted her. That night it was HER, no one else… Just HER! _

_He could smell her. His heart raced when just the fainted whiff of her Sidle scent filled his nose. He knew she was there. He didn't have to see her, she was there._

"_I'm here for you Greg." She whispered to him as her hands lovingly stroked his hair._

_He could tell by the tone in her voice that she was on the verge of tears._

_He wanted to tell her right there, lying in the street bleeding, how much he wanted Sara Sidle. But his newly gained CSI skills came forward as he told her to match the paint and collect the evidence. He knows that she knows him. She knows he is hurting. _

_Greg wants to reach out to Sara. He wants to tell her how awful it was. How knowing a young man died is breaking him up inside. He wants to cry to her, and to feel her arms around him. He wants to kiss her with everything he has, hoping that she won't turn away, as a sign of his love for her. _

As Greg looks at Sara he notices something about her. Not just her scent, but something else. Her hair is different. A berry color is on her lips and her big beautiful brown eyes look different. Whatever she did to them is making them dance. He has always noticed her, but her look this evening is all together different. Did she do her hair and her make up for **HIM? **

"So Sara, you _still _haven't answered my question." He asks again.

"Why are you here?" Greg then takes another bite of his meal.

"I wanted to see you, to see how you are doing." "Is that okay?" She says back to him.

"Sara, you know how I'm doing." "Lousy, that's how I'm doing, lousy!" "And I wish everyone would just stop asking!" Greg replied in a loud voice as he bangs a fist on to the countertop.

Sara has never seen this side of Greg. His face is now beginning to get hot. She looks at him again. He is in a STANFORD t-shirt and grey sweats. He was obviously not expecting company.

His face is getting hotter and hotter as he starts to get angry. He is angry at how far this has gone. He tried to do the right thing and a person died. That will never go away. Why are they making it so hard on him? Knowing that Marcus will never see his family again is punishment enough for Greg. Why do they need to punish him more? It won't bring Marcus back. If his family only knew how much this hurts him…. Maybe they could some how 'set him free' so Greg could go on with his life.

"I wish I would have just left. I should have gone directly to the liquor store to meet Sofia." Greg says quietly turning towards Sara wiping a tear away in a shaky voice. Her face is glued to his.

"I know baby." She practically whispers to him as she reaches out to touch his face.

Their eyes met again. They looked at each other for awhile.

"I…I should go." Sara cut in as she begins to pack up her half-eaten dinner. She covers the rest of his also and puts it in the refrigerator.

"Are you ever going to tell me why you really came here?" He asks

Sara continues to clean up in the kitchen wiping down the countertops and rinsing off the utensils.

"So, are you?" Greg asks getting somewhat annoyed that she is not answering him.

"Sara, I'm talking to you!" "You can't just shut me off, or tune me out!" Greg says in a loud voice.

"BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO BE ALONE!" she practically yelled at him.

"You are the only person I want to be with right now." Sara responded in a less loud voice.

Sara walks over to wear he is sitting. She takes his hand and pulls him up off the stool. She puts her arms around him and hugs him. She can feel his breath on her shoulder and tears flowing from his eyes. "I'm sorry Sara; I didn't mean to yell at you." He says in a shaky voice.

"It's okay Greg." "I'm here and everything will be okay." She whispered in his ear as she strokes his hair listening to his sobs.

Somehow they manage to get from where they were standing to the couch.

She sits down and begins again to stroke his hair. This time he is lying in her lap as she listens to him cry.

"Sara?" Greg asks when he finds the strength to speak after letting out a very much needed release.

"Yes, I'm here." She responds quietly

"Will you please stay with me?" "I need you." "I don't think I can make it through tonight without you." He asks

"And I don't want to be alone either."


End file.
